Photos: A look at scenes from Season 3 of Downton Abbey

Juanita Ng, Vancouver Sun01.03.2013

Downton Abbey fans are rejoicing as the Granthams make their return in the highly anticipated third season of the British series. Keep clicking to see photos from Season 3, which premieres Sunday on PBS.'
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Sal Cinquemani, Slant Magazine
Downton Abbey thrives when tackling plotlines that are confined to the personal and social conflicts of the estate, both upstairs and downstairs. Shown (L-R): Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley and Robert Bathurst as Sir Anthony Strallan in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Willa Paskin, Salon
Objectively, Downton is not that good and certainly not as good - well-made, well-wrought, reasoned, executed - as it once was. But objectivity only has a little to do with it. Shown (L-R): Phyliis Logan as Mrs. Hughes and Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Patmore in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Maureen Ryan, The Huffington Post
It tends to work a lot better as the season progresses - like a 19th-century train, this polished piece of machinery starts slow and needs to work up a head of steam in order to be enjoyed in all its Victorian glory. Shown (L-R): Siobhan Finneran as Miss O'Brien and Matt Milne as Alfred in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Alan Sepinwall, Hitfix
Downton in season 3 is still a soap opera (as it was in season 1, as well), but it's a smarter one; it's harder to see the puppet strings Fellowes is pulling this year to get to his desired outcomes. Shown: Jim Carter as Mr. Carson in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Magazine
The melodrama is deliciously engrossing and occasionally wrenching - two episodes in the middle of season three may empty local Rite-Aids of Kleenex - but in the end, it's a light series: "light" as in the opposite of dark, not insubstantial; warm, hopeful, inspiring. From left to right: Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Grantham, Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham, Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley, Penelope Wilton as Isobel Crawley, Allen Leech as Tom Branson, Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
While some plots on Downton Abbey may be more meaningful than others, nothing in season three rings as false a note as the Patrick-has-amnesia story in season two. Shown: Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
Fellowes has a stronger hold on telling the individual tales of his well-drawn characters, and that pinpoint focus utterly redeems the series early on. Shown (L-R): Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
On the one hand, our love of the characters makes it more than possible to overlook the sloppiness of the scripts. On the other, though, it's because we do know these characters so well that we notice the inconsistencies in the first place. Again, none of this detracts significantly from our enjoyment of the series. Shown: Brendan Coyle as John Bates in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe
Fellowes does a good job of keeping all of his players engaged while introducing fresh faces and bringing back old friends. Shown here: Sophie McShera as Daisy Mason in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Robert Bianco, USA Today
What lies ahead for Downton fans is a first-rate run of episodes that feels less hectic and more tightly focused on the family core. In this photo: Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Tom Gliatto, People
If the Granthams are low on dough, emotionally they're richer than ever. From left to right: Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham and Jim Carter as Mr. Carson in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Verne Gay, Newsday
Fans will be pleased, though they shouldn't be too surprised by the major plot development Sunday - it's obvious by half. From left to right: Dame Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
As sweet as treacle tart, the third season of Downton Abbey arrives reasonably fresh and warm. Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates and Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates in Season 3 of Downton Abbey, premiering Sunday on PBS.'
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